1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to trolling motors and, particularly, to a mount that attaches a trolling motor to a watercraft.
2. Description of the Background
A trolling motor slowly propels a watercraft, for example, yachts, fishing boats, motorboats, sailboat boats, and canoes, and allows for precise maneuvering. A trolling motor generally comprises an electric motor, propeller, shaft, and control housing. Trolling motors are often secondary to a larger primary gasoline or diesel motor and intended for use once the primary motor is shut down.
Although pleasure and sport boaters use trolling motors, trolling motors are primarily used by anglers for low speed trolling and for precision boat positioning while fishing in both freshwater and saltwater. Electric trolling motors create little or no noise, smoke, or disruption in the surrounding water. Trolling motors are generally used on watercraft less than thirty feet in length. The vast majority of trolling motors are powered by direct current supplied by an onboard battery source, for example, gel or dry cell 12-volt, 24-volt, or 36-volt deep cell marine batteries.
Trolling motors are generally mounted on either the bow or the transom with a hinged mount that allows the trolling motor to be retracted from a deployed, in-use position in the water to a stowed, out-of-use position out of the water. Anglers typically chose a bow mount if they spend large amounts of time maneuvering for precise position. Numerous bow mounts that are fastened to the deck have been designed and are in use today, and they all have one thing in common: they are all, to some degree, manually deployed, retracted, and secured.
Conventional bow mounts typically comprise a base that is fastened to the deck at the boat's bow, pivoting arm assembly that moves from a deployed position to a stowed position with manual manipulation, and a trolling motor attachment assembly. When an angler wants to either stow or deploy the trolling motor, the angler uses a rope handle that is attached to the pivoting arm assembly or attachment assembly to lift and rotate the arm assembly between a stowed position and a deployed position.
Several disadvantages are presented with such known bow mounts. The trolling motor's weight is entirely cantilever supported by the pivoting arm assembly and the attachment means. This weight distribution requires the application of a large force on the rope handle to rotate the arm assembly. Thus, deploying or stowing the trolling motor typically requires more than one hand to pivot the arm assembly. These mounting apparatuses also force the angler to reach and bend over on the edge of the boat to grab the rope handle, which is inconvenient, difficult, and sometimes dangerous, and some anglers may not have sufficient dexterity or strength to move the trolling motor between the deployed and stowed positions. Further, manual deployment and retraction of the trolling motor using the rope handle diverts an angler's attention from fishing to operating the mount to ensure that the trolling motor is not dropped abruptly. These disadvantages are amplified when fishing on open lakes and bays where breaking waves and gusting winds occur.
The trolling motor mount as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,195,526 and 7,004,804 by Bernloehr et al. uses a motion dampening device, for example, a gas or pneumatic spring, to merely control the velocity of the pivoting arm assembly and to assist in the movement of the pivoting arm from the deployed position and the stowed position. This mount, however, still fails to eliminate the shortcomings associate with convention bow mounts: the mount operator still must pull a rope handle to pivot the arm assembly, which in turn requires a certain degree of strength, exteriority, and attention.